Potholes in the Path of Pedagogy

My school is in the second week of a big shake up of leadership. We began the year working under a principal that had extremely poor leadership skills. She was the master of passing the buck, knew very little of the job of an elementary school teacher and even was bold enough to LIE in PRINT! The lying was the straw that broke the camels back for me. It was obvious that integrity meant very little to this person. I think that in most situations I am a very forgiving and patient person. Someone without experience has the ability to gain from experience, someone without knowledge can learn, but someone who lies that late in life will always be a liar. The lying was the one area that really changed the effectiveness of her leadership and ultimately the staff.

As a staff we tried to be tolerant, professional, and patient. Eventually the leadership began to affect the integrity of our teaching and that’s when things changed for us. At first the staff banded together. We tried to share our concerns professionally with other district administration. What we did not realize was that while we were circling our wagons as a staff, the central office staff was also circling their wagons too. I am pretty sure that we as a staff were all seen as a bunch of whiny teachers that did not want to do their jobs. I have heard we were thoroughly complained about by the principal both to the central office and outside of the district.

Anyway, all of that seems to be water under the bridge as we were all informed that our leader would be spending some meaningful time with her neglected family. This would be the same family that she gloated in one of the first staff meeting about because the children were all grown and out of the house and busy with lives out of her realm. We don’t really know if this was a “family need” or if there was some pressure from the central office for her to have a family need. Either way, to our staff we were thrilled to make a new start.

We now have administrators from the central office running the school and although we all feel as if we are under a microscope, we are really starting function normally again. The natural leaders among the staff that were so terribly taken to task under the previous leadership are beginning to emerge again. It is so like awakening after a long winters’ sleep and things have all changed. The difference between us an the hibernating animal is that we are coming out of this mess with quite a few scary experiences and even more wounds that will need to heal.

We are all a bit fearful as we have not been told a truthful tale for a long time and we continue to have suspicions about the longevity of the absence of the principal. The rumors fly about if she will return and what her future in our school district might be like if she returns. With parent groups forming demanding her job, student dissension against her and staff unable to stick up for her, I cannot imagine that the central office will continue to circle the wagons and protect her. I do know that for the first time in months, I am enjoying my job again. I never have valued the role of a principal before this school year….

Stay out of the potholes, drive on the sidewalk!